He Stood up for me

"Ella!... I am warning you," Max sternly said to Ella. His voice carried a tone of authority, conveying his displeasure with her behavior. Ella, however, seemed defiant as she walked towards Max, arguing, "Oh, c'mon Max, the least you can do is support me. She is at fault here." Max's expression turned stern as he locked eyes with her, questioning, "Are you even listening to yourself?"

The situation felt incredibly awkward to me. I stood there, uncertain of what to do or say. My mind raced with numerous questions. Why was Max involved? Why did he feel the need to intervene? It was a perplexing moment that left me searching for answers. But let's go back to where it all began.

That morning, my dad dropped me off at school. I was feeling better, almost forgetting about the incident from last Thursday. However, fate had other plans for me. As I hurried through the crowded hallway, I accidentally collided with Ella, causing her cappuccino to spill all over her pristine white dress. In a fit of rage, she screamed at me, stomping her feet on the ground, "Aaahhhh you... you uneducated bush imbecile! My... my white Gucci dress!!" I immediately realized the mistake I had made and apologized profusely, desperately attempting to clean the mess with my wipes. But Ella adamantly refused, continuing to insult me.

The argument between Max and Ella escalated from there. It all started when I accidentally dropped my iced tea on Ella's opened Gucci bag, which contained her phone. It wasn't entirely my fault, though, as one of her friends had tripped me, causing the unfortunate spill. Ella, being Ella, began hurling insults at me. However, the mistake she made was crossing a sensitive boundary. She brought up my mom, saying, "You're such an imbecile, a serious downgrade. No wonder why your mom was murdered. Your crude family just has a way of getting into people's heads." That was the tipping point for Max, who stepped in to warn her, triggering their argument. I had been on the verge of physically attacking her myself, but Max beat me to it by issuing a stern warning.

"Ella!... I am warning you," Max's voice resonated with authority as he addressed Ella. She walked towards him, refusing to back down. Ella's tone became more agitated as she retorted, "Oh, c'mon Max, the least you can do is support me. She is at fault here." Max's gaze intensified, filled with anger and fury. He confronted her sharply, "Are you even listening to yourself? You know what, Ella? Do not dare talk to me like that. How could you bring up something so sensitive? How would you feel if I said the same about Ken, huh?" Ella, visibly agitated, responded defensively, "Don't bring Ken into this, Max." Max, unyielding, pointed towards me, emphasizing his point, "Exactly! Then don't say it to someone else. Apologize to her." Ella's voice trembled as she defiantly refused, "I am not going to apologize, especially not to her. She can just go and bury herself." The atmosphere grew tense as their argument played out, capturing the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. Observers remained silent, hesitant to interfere or comment on the unfolding drama.

Max took my hand, asserting his presence and guiding me out of the cafeteria. As we reached the lockers, he glanced at me with genuine concern evident in his eyes. I couldn't help but wonder why he cared about me. Why, Max? My surprise made it difficult to form a coherent response, so I simply nodded slightly to indicate that I was okay.

"Whatever I did for you, do not misinterpret it. I would have done it for anyone else, so don't think you are special," Max leaned against my locker, specifically emphasizing his point. Taken aback, I quickly clarified, "I did not interpret anything." Max's tone softened as he acknowledged his earlier behavior, "Oh, you can talk. I thought you were a mute since you can't seem to stand up against Ella." Annoyed by his attitude, I retorted, "Look... thank you for what you did, but there's no need to be an asshole about it." Before I could walk away, he unexpectedly held my hand, preventing my departure. "Okay, sorry for being an asshole, but why do you let her do and say these things to you?" he inquired, genuinely seeking an answer. Caught off guard, I stammered, "I... I... I don't know." With that, I continued on my way. When you become a victim of bullying, it's incredibly difficult to overcome. You can become so accustomed to it that you lose the willpower to stand up against it. You feel powerless, lacking the confidence to defend yourself. Somehow, I had become a victim of bullying, and even now, I'm still trying to gather the courage to fight back.

As I walked away, Max's voice echoed after me, reminding me of our previous conversation. "Hey! You still owe me a tour around the school," he shouted. I couldn't help but smile as I replied, "And a tour you shall get at 3:30, basketball court!" Our exchange reverberated through the hallway, symbolizing the faint glimmer of a potential friendship in the midst of turmoil.